Council kept its 2011 tax increase to the lowest level it possibly could without cutting key services.

That was the message from city hall after councillors voted in favour of the 2011 financial plan bylaw, which includes a 3.45 per cent tax hike.

Resident Gary Raddysh beseeched council to instead consider a zero per cent increase.

“I believe that all Canadians are taxed enough already, and there could be plenty of tax money available to improve our growing communities,” he said.

He spoke up during the public information hearing held to allow residents to offer opinions on the budget. Although he acknowledged that the discussion was strictly about municipal taxes, and not about federal and provincial spending, he nonetheless underlined the importance other levels of government have when it comes to “influencing the funding of our municipal programs.”

He called for an end to carbon tax, HST and Canada’s participation in the war in Afghanistan.

The state of Chilliwack’s roads and the transit system are areas they’ll continue to work on, he said.

Coun. Chuck Stam said a zero per cent increase is just not an option, even though his approval of this “small” increase came only after some “kicking and screaming” and discussions about inflationary pressures on contracts and materials.